Fluid-compressor valve.



No. 744,916. PATENTED NOV. 24, 1903.

F. D. HOLDSWORTH. FLUID COMPRESSOR VALVE.

APPLIGATION FILED AUG. 18, 1902. N0 MODEL.

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FRED D. IIOLDSWORTH, OF CLAREMON'I, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR TO SULLIVAN MACHINE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORA- TION OF'NEW HAMPSHIRE.

FLUID- COlVl PRESSOR VALVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 744,916, dated November 24, 1903.

Application filed August 18, 1902. Serial No. 120,084. (No model.) I

To 00% whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRED D. HOLDSWORTH, a resident of Claremont, in the county of Sullivan and State of New Hampshire, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fluid-Compressor Valves; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to inlet and outlet valves for power-cylinders, such as fluid-compressors,and more particularly to those valves which are opened and closed by mechanical means.

The principal object of my invention is to provide valves for this purpose which will open and close instantly and at just the proper time with relation to the position of the main piston, so as to insure the cylinder always being completely filled with air and to prevent an exhaust backward through the inlet-port or a drawing in of the airbackward through the outlet-port, and which valves will always seat themselves firmly without the necessity of a nice adjustment of the mechanical moving means therefor and irrespective of any Wear that may occur in such moving means or the valves.

A further object of my invention is to pro vide a valve and actuating means so constructed that the actuating means can be readily disengaged when necessary to inspect or repair the valve and having spring mechanism which is protected both from the heat of the cylinder and from dirt and the like.

To these ends my invention comprises, generally stated, a valve of the kind specified and mechanism for moving the same, together with a yielding connection which is both compressible and extensible between the valve and its moving mechanism, the purpose of which is to allow the valve to be governed by the difference in pressure between the interior of the cylinder and the outside port and irrespective of the position of the moving mechanism.

My invention also com prises a suitable casing for said yielding mechanism, located out of contact with the cylinder and protecting the same from the heat of the cylinder and dirt and dust.

My invention also comprises a connection between the actuating mechanism and the valve, so constructed that the latter can be detached from the actuating mechanism without the necessity of loosening bolts, nuts, or the like.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through a compressorcylinder, showing my valves applied thereto; and Fig. 2 is a detail of an end view thereof.

1 represents the compressor-cylinder, 2 its head, and 3 the piston working therein, all of which may be of the usual or any desired construction.

4 represents the inlet port or passage, and 5 the outlet port or passage. The port or passage 4 where it enters the cylinder-chamher is provided with the seat 6, which faces inward and forms the seat for the inlet-valve 7, while the port or passage 5 where it leaves the cylinder-chamber'is provided with a seat 8, which faces outward for receiving the outlet-valve 9. The seats 6 and 8 are held in place by frames 10, which bear against said seats and which in turn are held in place by means of the removable bushings or plugs 11, secured in openings in the ends of the head 2. The frames 10 are provided with sleeves 12, which serve as guides for the valve-stems 13. The frames 10 are cored out, as at l l, which cored-out portions communicate by passages 15 with the cored-out portion 16 in the bushings 11. The openings 16 communicate with the air, so that the parts will be cooled. The valves, together with their stems 13, are bored out, as shown in dotted lines, to make them as light as possible.

Each valve-stem is provided at its outer end with a head 17, which engages the open slot 18, formed in a spring-case 19. The latter is in the form of a cylinder having one end open and is movably mounted in a casing 20, secured to the actuating-yoke 21. Secured to both the casing 20 and the movable piston or spring-case 19 are plugs or heads 22, which are provided with deep spiral grooves. In these grooves are seated the spirals of the two ends of a spiral spring 23, which in its normal condition has its coil open, so that it can be both compressed and extended. Preferably the heads 22 are removablysecured in place-as, for instance, by having a perforated boss 25, secured in place by means of a screw or pin 25, as will be readily understood. There are two yokes 21 and 21, and they are connected to rods 26 and 26 said rods being reciprocated from any moving part of the compressor mechanism, as will be readily understood. The springs 23 are inclosed in the casings 19 and 20, so that they will not be affected by dirt, dust, and the like, and they are out of contact with the cylinder, so that they will not be affected by the heat of the latter.

In Fig. 2 of the drawings are shown two casings 20 for two outlet-valves and two corresponding casings for two inlet-valves, said casings being connected to the yokes 21 and 21, respectively, so that all of the inlet-valves and all of the outlet-valves are actuated simultaneously. The number of these valves may be varied as desired or necessary. The reciprocating rods 26 and 26 are moved back and forth longitudinally at suitable intervals, as is common in this class of mechanism, and will be understood without further description.

The operation is as follows: Let us take the inlet-valve, for instance. It is evident that it is practically impossible to make any mechanism which will open or close this valve instantly. Hence as the main piston nears the ends of itsstroke the valve mechanism must necessarily begin to act on the valve to open or to close it. If the valve is rigidly connected to its moving mechanism, it will of course be either entirely closed or opened, or very nearly so, before the piston has completed itsstroke. Take, for instance, when the piston is nearing the completion of its outward stroke. If the inlet-valve is entirely closed before the piston has completed its outward stroke, the cylinder will not be completely filled with air. With my arrangement, however, if the valve-moving mechanism has moved so as to close the valve before the piston has completed its outward stroke the spiral spring,being extensible,will, under the suction of the air flowing through the port, allow the valve to remain open and permit the air to continue to flow into the cylinder until the piston has reached the extreme limit of its stroke, thereby making it possible to completely fill the cylinder with air. The instant, however, that the piston begins its return stroke the spring, which is under tension, will immediately close the inlet-valve. So, too, when the piston has arrived at its nearest point to the inlet-valve the mechan ism compresses the spring, but the valve will not open, because of the pressure of the air in thespace between the piston and the head 2. It is not until the piston has receded sufficiently to practically equalize the pressure on both sides of the valve that it opens,when the spring 23, which is under compression, will instantly open the valve. If the connection were rigid instead of flexible, as shown, the valve would be opened or partly opened before the piston began its outward stroke and the compressed air in the space between the cylinder-head and piston would cause an exhaust backward through the inletport. Furthermore, there would be danger of the valve striking the piston and causing breakage of the mechanism. It will be observed,therefore,that the spring must be both compressible and extensible for the two reasons just given-namely, to permit air to flow into the cylinder after the mechanism has operated on the valve in the one case to close it and in the other case to permit the valve to remain seated at the end of the inward stroke of the piston until the latter has receded a proper distance.

The function of the spring 23, connected to the outlet-valve, is similar to that above described with reference to the inlet-valve. The extensibility of the spring permits the outlet-valve to remain seated until the piston has proceeded sufficiently far on its return stroke to give a pressure within the cylinder equal to the pressure outside the cylinder. The spring will then instantly open said valve. The compressibility of this spring will prevent the outlet-valve from closing until the piston has reached the limit of its compression-stroke and will then instantly close said valve, so that when the piston recedes it cannot draw air into the cylinder through the outlet-port.

By inclosing the springs 23 in the casings 19 and 20 they are protected from the dust and oil, which would form a gummy crust on the coils and interfere with their proper action. Furthermore, said casings are out of contact with the cylinder, so that the springs are protected from the heat of the outgoing air, which would be liable to affect the temper of the springs and weaken the same. Whenever it is desired to have access to the valves for any reason, the actuating-yokes can be readily detached from the valves without loosening the nuts or other parts by merely slipping the heads 17 of the valvestems out of the slots 18. As the springs are inclosed in the casing and as the latter are carried by the yokes, said springs are removed with the yokes, and hence are not liable to injury or distortion in removing the valves from the heads.

It is obvious that the arrangement of valves and. their operating mechanism shown and described might be applied to both ends of the cylinder, and, furthermore, by merely reversing the valves or the valve -operating mechanism the same construction is adapted for an ordinary pump instead of a fluid-compressor.

What I claim is- 1. In a fluid-compressor, the combination with a valve, of mechanism for moving the same, and yielding means which is both com pressible and extensible secured to both said valve and its moving mechanism and forming a connection therebetween, whereby said valve is positively but yieldingly moved in both directions and is governed by the difference in pressure on its faces and irrespective of the position of the moving mechanism.

2. In a fluid-compressor, the combination with a valve, of mechanism for moving the same, and a spiral spring having open coils connecting said valve and its moving mechanism, whereby said valve is positively and yieldingly moved in both directions and is with a valve, a'valve-stem and guide therefor,

of a plunger or piston, readily-detachable connections between said plunger and said valve-stem, reciprocating mechanism, and a spiral spring having normally open coils and having one end secured to said plunger or piston and the other end secured to said reciprocating mechanism, whereby said valve is positively but yieldingly moved in both directions.

5. In a fluid-compressor, the combination with a valve, of a valve-stem and guide therefor, said valve-stem being provided with a head, of a plunger or piston provided with an open slot for receiving said head,reciprocating mechanism, and a spiral spring having normallyopen coils and having one end secured to said plunger or piston and the other end secured to the reciprocating mechanism, whereby said valve is positively but yieldingly moved in both directions.

6. In a fluid-compressor, the combination with a valve, of a valve-stem and guide therefor, reciprocating mechanism, a casing connected thereto, a plunger or piston moving in said casing and connected to said valvestem, and a spiral spring located in said casing and having one end connected to said casing and the other end connected to the plunger or piston, said spiral spring having normally open coils whereby the valve is positively but yieldingly moved in both directions.

7. In a fluid-compressor, the combination with a plurality of valves, of reciprocating means for moving said valves, and yielding means which are both compressible and extensible secured to each of said valves and to said reciprocating means, whereby said valves are positively but yieldingly moved in both directions and governed by differencesin pressure on opposite faces irrespective of the position of the reciprocating mechanism.

8. In a fluid-compressor, the combination with a cylinder and its piston, of inlet and outlet valves for said cylinder, mechanism for moving said valves, and yielding means which are both compressible and extensible secured to each of said valves and to its moving mechanism, whereby said valves are positively but yieldingly moved in both directions and governed by differences in pressure on their faces and irrespective of the moving mechanism. I

In testimony whereof I, the said FRED D. HOLDSWORTH, have hereunto set my hand. FRED D. HOLDSWORTH. Witnesses:

F. H. FOSTER, E. J. ROSSITER. 

